1. Technical Field
This invention relates to lifting systems and, more particularly, to a tennis net lifer system and associated method for assisting a tennis player to practice various skills-improvement tests.
2. Prior Art
Speed, strength, and agility are important in tennis. But skillful ball placement provides a significant competitive edge that is often more readily attained, and many practice aids and coaching theories strive to develop this skill. The notable technique of visualizing a target along the tennis net is particularly effective. Rather than aiming directly at the far court where the ball is to be placed, attention is directed to a spot along the net, and the ball is hit over the net at the selected spot. When guided in this manner, more consistent ball placement tends to result.
A number of devices have been proposed in the past for aiding the training of tennis players. Most of these devices have attempted to provide means for improving the accuracy of tennis shots so that the player can become more accomplished and adept at their sport, and a wide variety of different devices have been suggested. For example, many of the tennis practice devices heretofore proposed have been of the rebound variety wherein an upright wall surface or the like is provided which presents a target for the player. Tennis balls shot against the wall surface rebound back towards the player and land on a previously marked foreground which determines whether the ball would have alighted within an imaginary court beyond the wall surface.
Another type of tennis target structure provides an upright net or canvas barriers having a tennis ball-clearing opening therein with ball-catching means in the form of net or the like immediately therebehind. In these types of devices the player attempts to shoot tennis balls into the opening which is purportedly positioned so that a successful shot would land in the playing area of an actual tennis court. One prior art example shows an upright net structure with openings therein which is adapted to be situated within a practice area. Good tennis shots which would fall within the playing area of an actual tennis court are supposed to pass through the openings and are held within the pockets therebehind. Another prior art example discloses a number of flexible flaps that cover the ball-clearing opening of the unit which are supposed to signify when hit by a tennis ball that the shot would have landed within a given area of an imaginary court therebeyond.
While some of the above described tennis target structures have achieved a certain degree of acceptance they nevertheless have been plagued by a number of deficiencies. The most persistent objection to these devices is that they create an unnatural practice situation for the player. That is, these units are not usable in conjunction with a regulation tennis court so that anyone using the same looses the feel of actual court conditions. Furthermore, the lack of adjustability in many of these units precludes the possibility that various specialized types of shots can be practiced. For example, while a given target device may permit practice on certain types of serves, it may not be properly dimensioned for the practice of overhand-spin serves or the like since such shots may have very different flight patterns as compared with other styles of serving.
Furthermore, ground strokes such as forehands and backhands cannot successfully be practiced on fixed-dimension target structures since these shots characteristically have a much greater arc than serves and are shot from a position much closer to the playing surface. The problems noted above are of course accentuated when different players attempt to use a single target structure at different times. For example, a tall player who desires to practice serves having a high degree of top spin may require a target structure of certain dimensions, while a shorter player wishing to practice high-arc ground strokes would need a differently dimensioned target.
Accordingly, a need remains for a tennis net lifer system and associated method in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a system that is convenient and easy to use, is durable in design, is easily adaptable and versatile in nature, and provides the user with a dynamic training tool. Such a system allows one or more tennis players to practice on an actual court, thus ensuring that game situations will not present them with scenarios that were not encountered during practice. Furthermore, the present system allows a player to practice a variety of different shots. Since the system is easy to use players of all skill level can advantageously benefit therefrom.